World AIDS Day: Grofers is distributing Condoms even as Uber turns Red!

Every year since 1988, World AIDS Day is held on December 1 providing an opportunity for people all over the world to unite in the fight against HIV and lend their support for people living with HIV while remembering those who’ve lost their lives fighting it.

While it is estimated that globally there are approximately 34 million people living with the virus, closer home there is an estimated 10 lakh people living in India who’ve been diagnosed with HIV. This, despite the country’s satisfactory run of its AIDS control programme which has managed to register a 57 percent decrease in new infections in the past decade.

As is the case with the fight against every disease, awareness is the key. And, in case of HIV, battling stigma and discrimination becomes all the more sacrosanct too.

Doing their bit on this World AIDS Day, hyperlocal quick-delivery service Grofers and taxi aggregator Uber have taken it upon themselves to make a genuine effort to help raise awareness about HIV.

Gurgaon-based Grofers is offering its customers one premium KamaSutra SKYN condom for free the whole of today as a part of its initiative for World AIDS Day.

It is possible for a customer to checkout on the app only availing of the free condom and not any other item. However, the quantity of the condom is restricted to one.

At a time when India, as a country is still shy discussing about sex and instead is happy to treat the subject as a taboo, it’s heartening to see a startup leading the way in shaping a discourse towards discussions related to the importance of protection.

Uber on the other hand has joined hands with (RED) in a bid to enable riders to drive towards an AIDS-free generation.

The organization (RED) which has been working towards spreading awareness about AIDS, has set its sights on eliminating mother-to-child transmissions of HIV globally by 2020. On its part, Uber has ensured that its riders in more than 150 cities nationwide get an opportunity to join in on the fight on Tuesday by choosing to ride (RED) and donate $5 above their normal fare.

The red ribbon is widely considered to be the symbol of AIDS awareness.

On their website, Uber has also announced that cars in the app will turn red to drive awareness around the cause around the world. Riders can choose the (RED) option in the app to choose their ride, which will be the same as usual.

At the end of the trip, an SMS will be sent to the rider asking if they would like to donate $5 to the Global Fund and riders are expected to reply with a YES.